Hoop means



B. J. RENDON May 23, 1961 HOOP MEANS Filed May 11, 1959 INVENTOR.

Bl BIAN J.

HI ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofice 2,984,937 Patented May 23, 1961 HOOP MEANS Bibian J. Rendon, 263 S. 11th East, Salt Lake City, Utah Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,275

2 Claims. (Cl. 46-220) This invention is related to hoop and control stick toys for childrens use and, more particularly, to a new and improved control stick combination which is highly reliable and yet very inexpensive to manufacture.

In the past numerous hoop and control stick toys have been devised for children. Difliculties encountered with existing hoop-stick toys of which the inventor is aware reside in the fact that present, light weight hoops are less desirable than those of the heavy weight variety; yet, the cost of manufacture of metal hoops at the present time is inordinately high, resulting in manufacturers acquiescing in producing those of the light-weight, plastic variety with less favorable rolling qualities. A further difficulty is presented in the fact that conventional control sticks operate solely to either (1) guide the hoop down the sidewalk or street or (2) carry by releasable snap means the hoop to a desired area of play. There is to the inventors knowledge no hoop-and-stick toy wherein, without the manipulation of hooks, catches, springs or other means, the stick may easily and satisfactorily transport the hoop so that, by a simple wrist motion at the handle of the stick, the hoop may be removed from the hook-end of the stick for the operator to guide the hoop by the control stick down the sidewalk play area.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved, hoop and control stick toy for childrens use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hoop which is relatively heavy in character so that when the hoop is rolled down the sidewalk the increased inertia thereof will cause the same to roll in a direct line.

It is an additional object to manufacture a hoop as above described wherein the hoop construction is extremely inexpensive to manufacture in production.

An additional object is to provide a new type control stick, the stick preferably being made of wire, with the end thereof being of a simple hook-configuration so that the end may serve alternately to guide the hoop in its travel down the sidewalk area or to retrieve the hoop as desired when the same travels off course or slows down, and this without removal of the operators hand from the stick handle or use of his remaining hand.

According to the present invention the hoop is of a tubular, plastic construction the ends of which are joined together by means of a small dowel secured thereto by staples. Prior to the securement of the ends of the tubular hoop to the dowel, the hoop is packed with sand or other fill material in such a manner that the sand leaves only enough space in the ends of the tube to admit the dowel (less a small fraction which will be disposed in between the two ends of the secured hoop). The sand is packed, the dowel is inserted and the two ends of the hoop are urged together over the dowel. After su flicient packing of the sand has been made, staples are inserted through the hoop and dowel to secure the same. In this manner the hoop is constructed to be very heavy in character, by virtue of the inclusion of sand in its interior, and with the sand being packed within the tube by the dowel in its securement. If the sand sutliciently fills the hoop interior, then the ends of the hoop will not quite meet, but rather be a fraction of an inch apart. This fraction of an inch oifset is to insure that the sand is completely packed within the hoop and there will be no sand shifting therewithin.

The control stick of the combination is preferably formed wire having a down-over-and-up configured hook in the end thereof. The hook joins the handle portion of the stick in such a manner that the hook lies in a vertical plane directly in front of the user when the same engages the hoop in retrieve position. When the hoop is urged forwardly by the control stick then the latter is lowered and withdrawn from the hoop, the bottom of the hook portion of the control stick serving to urge the hoop forwardly with the legs up portions of the hoop serving as guides for the hoop.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the combination hoop and control stick toy, with the same being shown in retrieve position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail taken along the arcuate line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but with the control stick released from the hoop and the former urging the hoop in a forward direction.

In Figure 1 the control stick 10 includes a handle portion 11, a straight and elongate shaft portion 12 and hook portion 13. The hook portion 13 has a downwardly oriented leg 14, a horizontal base 15 and an upwardly oriented leg 16. It will be seen with reference to Figure 1 that when the control stick 10 hooks the hoop 17 in retrieve position, the plane of hook portion 13 is vertical, in front of the operator and laterally disposed with respect to the vertical projection plane of shaft portion 12. It is important to note that the legs 14 and 16 are directly vertical and parallel to each other; thus in this (retrieve) position the hoop will be less likely to bgcome disengaged inadvertently from the control stick The hoop construction is best illustrated in Figure 2, a detail taken along the arcuate line 2-2 in Figure 1, wherein it will be seen that the tubular plastic member 18 of the hoop 17 has its ends 19 and 20 in close interproximity, the same being secured together by a short dowel 21 which may be made of wood. The dowel 21 is secured to the ends 19 and 20 of tubular member 17 by means of staples 22. One or more staples secure each of the ends 19 and 20 to the dowel 21.

Of particular importance is that, prior to the insertion of the dowel into the ends of tubular member 17, the latter is packed with sand 23, with the resulting sand level closely adjacent to the extremities of ends 19 and 20. In fact, the sand filling of tubular member 17 is such that when the dowel 21 is inserted into the ends 19 and 20 the latter are urged together so that the dowel 21 accomplishes the packing of sand 23; thus, the sand is without voids and hence uniform throughout the construction. Thus, when one workman urges the ends 19 and 20 of tubular member 17 together and over the dowel, another operator may insert the staples through the tubular member 17 into the wood dowel 21. In practice there will be a slight space 24 between ends 19 and 20 after the accomplishment of the fabrication of the hoop. Were it otherwise, then the optimum degree of packing of the sand 23 could not be obtained.

In the manner thus described, the hoop 17 of Figure 2 3 is ofavery heavy character, by virtue of the contained sand, so that the increased inertia of the hoop as it rolls along the sidewalk will prevent the same from faltering along, its course, turning; to the right: or left inadvertently or slowing down prematurely. V

In Figure-2 the hoop. is being urged forwardly in direction F by the. control stick 10, the latter engaging the hoopat hook portion 13 thereof and particularly at. the

base 15 of the hook portion. It is seenwith reference to Figure 3 that the shaft 12 of hoopstick 10 ismore steeply angulated (with. reference to the prior position shown in Figure 1) so that the legs 14- and 16 of-hoop portion 13 will decline slightly from the vertical. This is permissibleand in fact desirable in the operative condition shownin- Figure 2, for the leg portions 14- and 16'serve asside restrainers or guides for the hoop 17.

As to. thehandle portion 11, the same maybe formedsimply. by bending the end- 11' of the end of shaft 12' around and spot welding this end to the shaft 10 at 25.

Thus, what is obtained is a high inertia-type hoop, simply and inexpensively constructed, and a control stick which. may guide the hoop or carry the same by hooking through the former; furthermore, by releasing the control maybe made Without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A play hoop comprising an annularly configured length of tubing the ends of which are fixedly spaced apart, a quantity of packedsand disposed within and nearly filling said tubing, dowel means disposed in the ends of said tubing for aligning the tubing ends and for retaining said sand in packed condition, and means fixedly securing said tubing to said dowel means.

2. A play hoop comprising, an, annularly configured length of tubing the ends of which are fixedly spaced apart, a quantity of packed fill material disposed within and nearly filling said tubing, dowel means disposed in the ends of said tubing for aligning the tubing ends and for retaining said fill material in packed condition, and means fixedly securing said tubing. to. said dowel means. 

